Mars at the Midnight Gateway of the Gods

Next month, the planet Mars will make one of its closest-ever approaches to the Earth, and this week, to get ready, the red planet rises at midnight in the region of Capricorn, appearing as a mighty warrior guarding the ancient gateway of the gods.

At the midnight hour this week, the stars of the constellation Capricorn rise up in the East. As a group of stars, Capricorn is rather unremarkable, because the stars here are not very bright. In fact, the constellation is second only to the constellation Cancer in lack of stellar luminosity.

However, what these two regions lack in starry brightness is more than made up for by the fact that since ancient times, they have been regarded as the celestial portals between Heaven and Earth. And while Cancer was known as the Gate of Men, through which souls descended to Earth from Heaven at birth, Capricorn was known as the Gate of the Gods, the portal of ascension through which souls of the departed ascended back to Heaven ~ and here stands Mars.

Mars as guardian at this gateway of the gods in the midnight hour is like the first sounding out of a call to action, where the action can be imagined as if it were our passing through the gateway into a new engagement with the world ~ in esoteric tradition, this kind of passage is described as crossing the threshold, and it is not something to be taken lightly, so we have to ask ourselves: How do we encounter gateways and thresholds? Do we barge across with our own ideas, unaware of what came before us, arousing the warrior to battle? or do we approach with compassion and interest in the other? The presence of Mars here requires boldness, so is it a boldness that leads with aggression, or a boldness in love and courage?

If you stay out to watch Mars where he rises in the east among Capricorn stars at midnight, take with you these words inspired by the German poet Goethe: Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it; boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.

Hear this segment on my weekly radio story with Interlochen Public Radio at this link!